【Risa Sakamoto Archives】

Shark Week. Aunt Flo. Period.

All of these words are Risa Sakamoto Archiveseuphemisms for one thing: menstruation. So why can't we just use the word menstruation instead of all of this period slang? Well, there's probably a lot of reasons we're always looking for other words for period, ranging from everything from social pressures to the idea that the word menstruation is just a little bit hard to say.

SEE ALSO: 'Turning Red's portrayal of periods is a turning point for coming-of-age movies

An international survey conducted by the health app Clue found that there are more than "5,000 different slang/euphemistic expressions and phrases for periods: from the gentle English 'Aunt Flo,' to the dramatic French 'Les Anglais ont debarqué' – 'the English have landed.'"

---

You May Also Like

---

---

In addition, the survey concluded, "French and English were the two most creative languages, and France and China were the two countries in which most people had heard euphemisms being used (91%). By contrast, only half of Costa Ricans had heard any euphemisms."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Even though there's no reason to be afraid of the words "period" or "menstruation," we still like to get a little creative — and it's almost a language on its own.

It actually makes "that time of the month" almost bearable. Almost.

---

Related Stories

---

• How to have sex on your period
• Can you take an STI test when you have your period?
• Curious about period tech? These 9 apps and gadgets are worth trying
• Period apps in a post-Roe world: What you need to know
• 4 things you should know about period poverty

So here they are, 15 other words for period:

1. Visit from Aunt Flo

2. On the Rag

3. Lady Business

Period slang: Lady business Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable

4. That Time of the Month

5. The Red Badge of Courage

6. Moon Time

Period slang: Moon Time Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable

7. Crimson Tide

8. Checking Into the Red Roof Inn

9. Red Wedding

Period slang: Red Wedding Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable

10. Girl Flu 

11. Carrie

12. Mother Nature’s Gift

Period slang: Mother Nature's Gift Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable

13. The Red Baron

14. Riding the Cotton Pony

15. Shark Week

Period slang: Shark Week Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable

Related Video: Weirdly Accurate Period Slang You Should Know

UPDATE: May. 23, 2023, 5:05 p.m. AEST This article was originally published Aug. 2018, and has since been updated May 2023.

• Shopping
• Life
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Deals
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Games

• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• Facebook role play groups offer a mundane escape from the pandemic
• Eli Manning gets roasted by Tom Brady a half
• J.K. Rowling's to release first children's story since Harry Potter
• The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2017
• Staff Picks: Geoff Dyer, Lydia Davis's Cows by The Paris Review
• What Earth was like last time CO2 levels were as high as today
• Snapchat's AI chatbot is rolling out to all users globally
• Best iPad deal: Save $132 on Apple iPad (10th Gen)
• How to camp during the historic coronavirus pandemic

• Why the author of ‘Fight Club’ is writing a coloring book for adults
• Which of 'Maniac's' pill hallucination stories was the best?
• A secret new Chromecast wound up on the shelves at a random Best Buy
• Newspapers plaster Bill Clinton on front pages after Hillary's nomination
• Ransomware attack hits Port of San Diego
• New footage reveals intensity of Indonesian tsunami
• YEAH! Howard Dean brings back the 'Dean Scream'
• Oculus Quest hands on
• Australia used to be home to a flesh
• 'Minecraft: Dungeons' delivers a new way to play 'Minecraft' in 2019

• Sony PULSE Elite PS5 headset open
• A Week in Culture: Amélie Nothomb, Writer by Amélie Nothomb
• Spotify goes down worldwide
• Staff Picks: Geoff Dyer, Lydia Davis's Cows by The Paris Review
• Best JBL deal: Save $10 on the Go 4 at Amazon
• Nike urges people to stand against racism in striking new ad
• A Week in Culture: Amélie Nothomb, Writer by Amélie Nothomb
• 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer, hints for April 17
• Diseases from mosquitos and ticks have tripled in the U.S., CDC finds
• Sidewalk chalk is having a real moment during the pandemic

• Best Apple TV+ deal: Get 3 months for $2.99 monthly
• Bumble says UK Online Safety Bill isn't enough
• Snapchat's AI chatbot is rolling out to all users globally
• The Outcasts of W. Eugene Smith’s Jazz Loft
• Bestway Hydro
• GLAAD responds to Twitter's silent rollback of LGBTQ harassment policy
• Seth Rogen has a blunt method of tackling 'All Lives Matter' commenters on Instagram
• National Weather Service accounts were not granted API exemptions by Twitter
• Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
• Sidewalk chalk is having a real moment during the pandemic